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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28476537">When the Dark meets the Light</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hades_17/pseuds/hades_17'>hades_17</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fanfiction! [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Awkward Crush, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Complicated Relationships, Coping, Crush at First Sight, Danganronpa never happened :D, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Guilt, I don't know what to tag I'm sorry, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Minor Character Death, Secret Crush, Survivor Guilt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:49:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,342</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28476537</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hades_17/pseuds/hades_17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder, spent his whole life secluding himself indoors and only limited outdoor activities whenever anyone invites him. He went to college with the dream of only obtaining his diploma and become a veterinarian. Never in his life would he fall in love with someone, with a boy nevertheless...</p><p>"Soda Kazuichi, it seems the blood moon have brought us together due to fate..."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Gokuhara Gonta &amp; Tanaka Gundham, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi, Nanami Chiaki/Sonia Nevermind, Soda Kazuichi &amp; Tsumiki Mikan, Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fanfiction! [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Starting Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder during his time in Hope's Peak Academy.</p><p>Now, he attends Keio University under the veterinary course. He's still quite a loner due to how he shuts himself out from reality. His childhood had never been a great one, as he was always bullied by people who found him weird or delusional. Only a few people had stuck by his side, such as Gonta Gokuhara, a rather big person with a soft side that is more interested in bugs than people. Gundham had met him while he was walking home from school with his 'Four Dark Devas of Destruction' when he heard someone trip nearby. He went to check and saw a rather tall kid, almost looking like a teenager, on the ground near some bugs and scratches on his face. "Are you okay, mortal?" Gundham went over to help the person up, who warned him to not step on some leaves next the boy. "No! Don't step!" he tried to stand up but tripped again, avoiding some leaves. "What is it that you are protecting, mortal?" Gundham crouched down, staring at the other boy. "S-sorry, Gonta really no want you to step on bugs..." he tried to get up and crouched down to the leaves, picking up some praying mantises from the ground. "What is it that you have there?" Gundham tilted his head, "Praying mantis!" the other boy showed it towards Gundham, who froze for a moment before touching it softly.</p><p>"Sorry!" someone bumped into him, which knocked him from his memories. A coral haired boy passed by him with stacks upon stacks of paper in his hands, the person seemed shorter than he is in a rather flashy outfit of what looks like a mechanic's outfit. The beanie in his head seemed like it was coming off as he ran off. Gundham fixed his scarf to hide his mouth which made one of his hamsters to crawl up to his head. "Star-destroyer Grey Fox, Sun-D, what is it that you need?" he asked affectionately, scratching Sun-D at it's cheek as it squeaked. He smiled and continued walking towards his apartment, wanting the day to go by while finishing his work. "Hey, Tanaka." Peko appeared next to him, holding tightly on to her bamboo sword's sheath. "Ah, Pekoyama, what is it that you wish from me?" Gundham turned to her, causing Jum-P to jump onto Peko's shoulder. "Ah, Jum-P..." she mumbled under her breath, stroking the critter's fur gently, careful she wasn't scaring the animal away. "Have you... finished your work?" Peko shook her head from playing with Jum-P and tried to get back to their conversation. "Mere work for a supreme overlord such as I should not be trivial." Gundham scoffed, Peko not paying attention to how flamboyant he was acting. "Alas, I have not finished it, dear Pekoyama. Now, I shall return to my quarters and perform a ritual..." he said, inviting Jum-P back to his scarf as he walked away. "Ah, bye then..." Peko waved towards him, already missing the fluffy hamster in her hands.</p><p>Arriving at the apartment, Gundham sighed. He walked up the stairs up to the fifth floor, where his house was. He had been living here ever since the start of college with his childhood friend, Gonta. They had thought of splitting the rent, but due to how they both earned barely above the minimum in their part-time jobs, they decided to bring in another roommate. That roommate just so happens to be a nephew of a famous detective, Shuichi Saihara. He had came over to the apartment, looking for a place to stay after being kicked out of his ex's house. Gonta had pressured Gundham into bringing him in that he promised to walk the other's dogs for the next ten weeks. Shuichi was thankful that they allowed him to stay and his earnings from his part-time jobs had enough to cover the rent if they divided it amongst themselves. Gundham groaned, thinking about his job at the nearby mini-market and how annoying the customers can be, how he couldn't bring the devas with him and how no one at work understands whatever he's saying, which in turn caused him to tone down the Shakespearean dictionary. He kicked his shoes off and unlocked the door, his dog running up to him and jumped on him. "Ahaha, Zagreus. Happy that I'm home?" he stroked the golden retriever's fur and spoke in a rather normal manner, a habit of his that never died down where he would speak normally around his animals or when he's alone. "Did Gonta take you on walks?" he asked the dog, who was licking his face, almost wiping off the tattoo at his left eye off. He stood and held the dog close, walked over to the couch and plopped down, sighing from a tiring day in college. "Well, Zagreus, want to know about my day?" he looked over to the dog, who barked. Gundham chuckled and started talking, the lazy afternoon soon turned darker and darker. Gonta and Shuichi had came home from extra classes and Shuichi went to start cooking for the three of them. </p><p>"Gonta had amazing day today! How about Gundham?" Gonta's starry eyes stared at the other male, while he stroked Zagreus in his arms. "Ah, well, my day was quite... enjoyable... to say the least..." Gundham replied, played with his scarf and looked down to his legs. "What wrong?" Gonta looked over to his friend, sensing that he was feeling down about something. "Nothing...! I am just... quite starved! An overlord of ice can be famished!" he waved his hands in front of the green haired man as Shuichi appeared from the kitchen. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you..." he said, putting three plates of rice on the table along with their dinner, a simple omelette topped with some sauce. The other two hurried to the table, stomachs growling. Gundham sat himself next to Shuichi with Gonta at the opposite side of them. "Alright, let's eat." Shuichi said after had putting food for Zagreus and putting the devas in their cage and fed them. The three of them enjoyed their food in silence, only Gundham seemed pretty agitated. "Gundham? What's wrong?" Shuichi turned towards him, who froze and looked down to his food. "Nothing! I was simply lost in thought about something..." he mumbled, stuffing food into his mouth. Gonta had finished his third plate and turned in for the night, leaving Shuichi and Gundham at the dining table. The air was silent, only the sound of Gonta and Zagreus' snores echoed the whole house. "So..." Shuichi spoke, taking another sip of his iced tea. "Don't you have a project to do?" he looked over to Gundham, who was fiddling with his fingers in a weird manner. "Heh, dear Saihara, I could not fathom the thought of you, believing I haven't done my project..." he replied, his fingers fiddling with each other much faster. "You do know you play with you fingers when you're nervous about something?" Shuichi pointed it out, making Gundham more embarrassed. "Tch, well, I suppose I shall tell you what is in my mind..." he muttered to himself and started to tell Shuichi about what was bothering him.</p><p>*****</p><p>He couldn't sleep.</p><p>Gundham had just took a shower, which caused his hair to fall and the 'scar' on his face to be wiped off. Now, he was laying on his bed, tossing and turning occasionally, insomnia getting the better of him. He groaned and stood up, his four Dark Devas of Destruction were already snoozing in their cage along with Zagreus, who was sleeping soundly next to his bed. He wrapped himself in his blanket and took his phone, texting one of the people that might be up at this hour, Sonia Nevermind. A princess from Europe who had transferred into Hope's Peak and had been one of his close friends during his time at the school. He does admit, he did have a small crush on Sonia but that backfired after he was told that she wasn't interested in boys but rather in girls (and was never sexually attracted to them too). Sonia would spend her nights reading about her hobbies, mostly the occult, if she couldn't sleep. She, too, appreciates Gundham's texts whenever he couldn't sleep. He texted her a few simple messages, slipping in his villian persona's way of talking too. Sonia responded almost immediately, saying that she couldn't really sleep either. They started to talk about their day and updates on their lives. Gundham's eyes had started to feel heavy as he laid on his side and texted Sonia another message before falling asleep, realizing how exhausted he was.</p><p>*****</p><p>The next day went by normally. Well, except during lunch break. Gundham had went outside to feel the breeze, he brought him lunch that Shuichi had prepared for the three of them this morning along with some sunflower seeds for the four Dark Devas of Destruction. He sat at his normal spot, a bench under a tree and away from groups upon groups of people. He liked the solitude, though the downside was that he was alone with his thoughts, both destructive and normal. He tried to ignore some of his recent thoughts and focused himself on his lunch. It was a simple sandwich. Though, knowing Shuichi, it probably wasn't a normal sandwich. A mixture of mayo and vegetables along with a bit of scrambled eggs were surrounded by two lettuces all sandwiched by two pieces of bread. Shuichi was a great cook, he appreciated that part of him. Though, he couldn't stop but wonder about the more weird and extraordinary things he had cooked. Gundham cringed, remembering some of the bad things Shuichi had tested. "Yo!" a voice called out to him, making him turn around. It was the boy that he bumped into yesterday. Now, Gundham had a better view of him. He had bright pink hair with one side of his bangs fashioned into a braid, his eyes matched his hair color and his grin showed pointy shark teeth. The bright yellow jumper he was wearing was littered with what looked like mechanical oil, with some stain on his yellow sneakers. He sat next to Gundham and pulled out his own lunch, a granola bar and a bottle of water. "How could you possibly fill yourself with such edibles?" Gundham stared at the things shark teeth was eating, who in turn stared back at him. "What?" he asked through his granola bar, "I don't know what ya just said but I can survive with only this!" he replied, taking a drink from his water bottle. Gundham looked down to his lunch and back to the other male next to him, handing him an uneaten sandwich. "A mortal such as you shouldn't torture yourself with unhealthy nourishment." he said, the other boy eagerly took the sandwich. "Thanks!" he said, devouring the whole thing in one go.</p><p>"Oh man, this is so good..." he sighed contentedly. "Thanks..." he stared at Gundham, who was feeding one of his hamsters. "Gundham Tanaka..." he muttered under his scarf, his voice coming out ever so slightly. "Cool, I'm Kazuichi Soda!" the pink haired male introduced himself, finally. "Ain't you one of the kids from Hope's Peak?" Kazuichi looked over towards Gundham, who nodded. "Ahaha, I hardly attended... Besides, I don't think you were in my class!" he said, looking up to the sky. One of Gundham's hamsters, Maga-G, jumped towards Kazuichi and landed on his lap, crawling up towards the other's grey beanie. "Hey, little guy!" Kazuichi stroked Maga-G's fur as the critter sat down on his beanie, enjoying the freedom. "Ya always have this hamsters around?" he asked, causing Gundham to freeze besides him. "H-how dare you call the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, 'hamsters'! These are mere mortal forms before they achieve their status as a demon beast!" Gundham almost yelled those words towards Kazuichi, who just stared with the sandwich he had given him in his mouth. "I have no idea what you just meant but cool!" Kazuichi chuckled before finishing the rest of his sandwich. Gundham blushed softly as he looked away, Sun-D looked up towards him and squeaked, bringing him back to reality. "Thanks for the food, Tanaka!" Kazuichi patted the other's back and stood up, stretching and started to go back to class, only for Gundham to stop him. "What's up?" Kazuichi turned towards him, "W-would you... like to... as they say... 'hang out'... soon...?" Gundham stuttered, in which Kazuichi replied with a shark grin. "Sure! Anytime!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. To Face a New Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW // Suicide Mention</p><p>yall thought this was gonna be a soft soudam fic? you thought wrong</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gundham shifted in his seat. He was sitting at a bench in the park, a bit scared to be around lot of people. He grabbed at the edge of his scarf, fiddling with it as he waited. "<em>Psst!</em>" a loud hissing interrupted his thoughts, making him turn around, only to see nothing but bushes. "<em>Psst!</em>" the noise sounded again, some bushes shook in the process. Gundham grumbled, stood up and made his way to the moving bushes. He peered closer, seeing nothing, only for Ibuki to pop from the bushes with both of her hands each holding a leaf with one leaf on her head. "I-Ibuki?! W-what are you doing here, you are disrupting my peace!" Gundham backed away slowly, Ibuki walked out the bushes and brushed off some leaves. "Ibuki is here to save the day!" she said, hugging Gundham which surprised the taller character. "Whatever do you mean...?" Gundham stuttered a bit, trying to push away from her. "Dummy Gundham, Ibuki's helping ya with your date!~" Ibuki touched his nose, making him blush even harder. "W-w-what do you mean?! This is merely... 'a hang out'... as you mortals call it!" Ibuki tilted her head and peered closer towards Gundham. "Liar, liar, pants on fire~!" Ibuki jumped around him, who was flustered to the brim. "Now, now, Gun-chan, Ibuki'll hide in the corner while you~ 'hang out'!" Ibuki did as she said, walking to the back of the tree and hiding behind it, though one of the cones in her hair stuck out. "Yo!" the cheerful voice broke Gundham's judgmental stare towards Ibuki and made him turn around. "A-ah! Kazuichi... It is quite the pleasure to see you...!" he stuttered and tried to find his dark persona's dictionary in his head. "Ahaha, why won't I show up? Ya did invite me!" Kazuichi stuck his long tongue out, grazing it a bit with his shark-like teeth. "It's a monster!!" Gundham heard Ibuki gasp in the distance. "Wha' was that?" Kazuichi turned towards him, "Nothing!" Gundham flayed his arms around.</p><p>Kazuichi grinned and grabbed Gundham's arm. "Come on, we have a whole day to hang out!" Kazuichi winked and started running, Ibuki waving both of her arms towards Gundham. "I'm happy for you, Gun-chan!~" she yelled, surprisingly only reaching Gundham's ears. "C-can you not slow down, Kazuichi..?!" Gundham tried to catch his own breath, he was never an athletic person nor did he ever thought he would be pulled around by someone at max speed. "Ahaha, sorry! I'm just excited." the coral-haired male gave a toothy grin towards Gundham. His eyes sparkled seeing the nearby ice cream parlor open, rushing over to buy two cones of ice cream. "W-wait...!" Gundham yelled out to him, grumbling at Kazuichi's spontaneous personality. He walked over to him, covering half of his face with his scarf from embarrassment. "Hey, Tanaka!" Kazuichi grinned and gave him one of the cones of vanilla ice cream. "Ah..." Gundham was caught off guard as he took the ice cream. Kazuichi was already finishing his cone as Gundham was staring at him, licking the ice cream slowly and enjoying the taste. "What's wrong Tanaka?" Kazuichi looked up from his dessert with curious eyes. "Ah-?! Well, I was merely appreciating the taste." he responded, looking away from Kazuichi. The pale red haired boy had finished his cone of ice cream and stared at the taller boy's ice cream. "So..." Kazuichi stared at him, causing Gundham to look into his eyes. "Ya wanna share?" Kazuichi asked him, his eyes sparkling. "Ah, well, of course..." Gundham muttered and handed the cone at him. Kazuichi grinned and licked some of the ice cream a bit, "There ya go!" he smiled, Gundham blushing softly as he finished the ice cream cone. "Now, then..." Kazuichi looked up to him, grabbing the other's arm. "There's a theme park nearby, do ya wanna go there?" Gundham froze for a moment before hiding his face with his scarf. "Ah... S-sure..." Kazuichi grinned, tugged at Gundham's arm and started making his way to the theme park.</p><p>*****</p><p>"Welcome home, Gundham." Shuichi greeted him when he walked in the apartment. "Greetings, Shuichi." Gundham gave his infamous cold side as he took off his shoes and went to his room. "Hey, don't you want dinner?" someone called out from the kitchen. The pale male turned to see Kaito appear from the kitchen. He looked the same from when Shuichi first introduced him, spiky purple hair and a jacket that he doesn't wear properly that has a universe motif at the underside. Ever since Shuichi announced he was dating Kaito, he had come over frequently to cook for the three tenants. "Ah, hello, Kaito. I didn't see you there." Gundham said, turning his doorknob and tried to open the door but froze. He feels a presence, and it was close. He turned back to the main living area to see Ibuki sitting there, hugging Zagreus in her hands. "HI GUN-CHAN!!" she yelled and waved. "You didn't need to shout..." Gundham sighed. "Really?" Ibuki titled her head as she stroked Zagreus. Gundham sighed, letting go of his doorknob. "Why is this mortal here?" Shuichi laughed dryly at his question. "Well, she came to the apartment covered in leaves and asked if she could stay for dinner..." the black haired explained. "She was... <em>really</em>... stubborn, so I invited her in." he chuckled and went back to prepare the table, hoping to avoid further questions. Gundham's shoulders slumped, walked over to the couch and sat next to the unexpected guest. "Sooooo, how did Gun-chan's little date go~?" Ibuki scooted closer, the question making the boy's face flush. "W-what date...? It was merely a 'hang out.'..." he looked away from the smug Ibuki. "But, why would Gun-chan ask Mr. Sharp Teeth to hang out if he barely knew him?" she ask in a more high pitched voice while controlling Zagreus' paws as if he was the one talking. Gundham cringed at this act and tried to put the dog's paws down. "Well, he seems like an interesting mortal subject..." he muttered, hoping he could fool Ibuki with his dark persona excuse. Ibuki tilted her head and let Zagreus go, the golden retriever dashed to the kitchen, probably hungry.</p><p>"Woah, boy!" Kaito's voice was heard from the kitchen as he avoided the dog. "Zagreus is pretty wild, huh?" Kaito joked to Shuichi, who had stopped moving at the kitchen sink. "Shuichi?" Kaito turned to his boyfriend, leaning closer to see if he was okay. "Huh? What?" Shuichi snapped back to reality as he continued washing the utensils Kaito had used while he was cooking. "You okay?" Kaito asked, obviously concerned for his lover. "Ah, I'm fine. Promise..." There's that habit. Shuichi had always have this habit where if he was unsure about his thoughts or his own feelings, his voice would disappear at the last word in a sentence. Kaito had tried his best to remove this habit, but it would pop up again whenever. "You sure?" he asked, trying to make his boyfriend open up a bit more. "Yeah, totally!" he said, chuckling a bit. Kaito pursed his lips and looked back to the stove, the vegetable soup he was cooking for Gundham was almost finished. "Kaito." he turned to Shuichi calling his name. "What's up?" he asked, still stirring the soup. "Do you ever think about Tsumugi?" Shuichi asked, the hat he was always wearing casted a shadow over his face. Kaito stared at him, his mind wandering back to their high school years. Tsugumi Shirogane. One of their friends in their friend group of 16 people during their time in Hope's Peak. Tsugumi never had stood out, as she was a rather plain girl whose talent is being the Ultimate Cosplayer. Rantaro had introduced her to the group and she got along with Kaede quite well due to their shared love of anime. Tsugumi was a shy but caring girl, a good listener and from time to time, a good advisor. She would be the peacemaker of the group whenever Kaede or Kaito weren't around.  On the last few weeks of school, she stopped attending. Never answered knocks on her door, never answered her phone, nothing. Everyone was worried. Maki had went to her house one day, and found the door unlocked. She wasn't prepared to see what was inside.</p><p>Kaito shut his eyes, feeling nauseated from the vague memory. Blood, knife, a broken vase, a black rose. "Kai?" Shuichi went over to his side, touching his arm a bit. Kaito smiled, calming down as he saw his boyfriend's concerned face. "I'm okay... I think..." he said and gulped down hard, turning off the stove fire. "Looks like this is ready." he said, taking the pot and walked towards the dining table. Shuichi sighed and went to feed Zagreus, his mind swirling with his own thoughts.</p><p>*****</p><p>It'll be okay...</p><p>Everything will be okay...</p><p>Everything will be okay..</p><p>Ev e ryt h ing wi ll b e oka y. . .</p><p>...</p><p>Tsumugi?</p><p>*****</p><p>Shuichi jolted awake. He sat up, his ears filled with Kaito's soft snores. He shook his head, turning to his buzzing phone. It was Kaede. Shuichi rubbed his eyes and picked up the phone. "Ah, Shuichi!" Kaede's melodic voice replied at the other end. "Hey, Kaede. Why are you calling at 3am?" Shuichi asked, yawning before letting her answer. "Nothing, I just..." her voice faltered, the sound of a soft violin tune was heard on the other end. Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. Always stays up late, practicing in a soundproof room. Ever since college, everyone had drifted away. Except for Kaede. She would call up Shuichi at random times just to chat and reminisce in old memories. She would go on for hours upon hours, laughing at their memories together. She had coupled with Maki a few months back while Shuichi and Kaito got together two years ago, always going on double dates whenever they have the time even though all 4 of them go to different colleges. "I've... been thinking... about... y'know." Ah. She's talking about that. "Yeah, me too." Shuichi said, the sound of the ticking clock had just now sounded irritating. "It was... scary." she continued, "Y'know... with the blood and everything." Shuichi closed his eyes shut, the surreal memory of her body lingered in his head. "I... can't let it go..." Kaede's voice sounded distant. "She's always so nice... Why would she do such a thing?" Shuichi didn't know what to reply, he didn't know <em>how</em> to reply. That day... When Maki entered Tsumugi's house.</p><p>The day when... Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer... had committed suicide.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>UPDATE 16/1/2021</p><p>DEADASS WROTE TSUGUMI INSTEAD OF TSUMUGI I AM SO SORRY</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. I'm sorry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It hurts...</p><p>It hurts so bad...</p><p>Please...</p><p>...</p><p>...</p><p>Why...</p><p>Why does it hurt...?</p><p>Someone...</p><p>Please, help me...</p><p>*****</p><p>Kazuichi jolted awake in cold sweat, his breathing was heavy. He looked to his alarm clock, 3:00 A.M. His heartbeat didn't stop even after the breathing exercise he had practiced. The ticking of the grandfather clock sounded closer to his ear, the dripping water from the bathroom sink rung in his ear. "C-calm down, Souda..." he told himself. "It was just a nightmare..." he tried to lay back on his bed, the ticking made him more and more anxious. He stuffed his face with the pillow his head was resting on, shutting out any form of noise. He tried shutting his eyes but couldn't sleep. Someone is here with him. The noises rung louder, the clock ticking, the water dripping. "I didn't do it..." he repeated, over and over until his clock rang for 6 A.M. Kazuichi jumped and saw the time along with the sun dipping into his room. He breathed in and out slowly, hoping to push his anxiety away. He jumped off the bed, his shoulders felt as if he was carrying a heavy object for ten hours. "Time for another day, I guess..." he sighed and went inside the shower.</p><p>Someone is here.</p><p>*****</p><p>"And with that, class is over."</p><p>Kazuichi closed his book and stretched, stuffing his books in his bag. "Hey, do you have the class notes, Souda?" Hajime asked him, placing his notebook in his bag. "Yeah, sure..." Kazuichi handed him his notebook, his face looked a bit down. "What's up?" Hajime noticed this, stared at him in concern. "What?" Kazuichi turned to him, "Yeah, I'm fine!" he hastily added. He made his way out the lecture hall, leaving Hajime alone with his thoughts. "Ah! K-Kazuichi!!" Mikan stopped him in the hallway. "Mikan, what are ya doin'?" Kazuichi shoved his hands inside his pockets. "Ah, well, I was wondering if I could... spend some time... with you?" Mikan asked, playing with her fingers. "Huh? Ah, sure!" Kazuichi gave her a thumbs up, "So, what do ya want to do?" Mikan pondered on this before deciding. "H-how about a day at the mall?" her sparkly eyes met Kazuichi's, who wasn't really paying attention to her. "Kazuichi?" Mikan turned towards the direction his eyes went, only to see Gundham talking with Ibuki in the distance. "Oh, it's the guy you li-" Kazuichi covered her mouth and dragged her outside of campus, again leaving Hajime behind as he went to meet up with them.</p><p>"H-hey!! Don't pull me!" Mikan struggled, fixing her hair and apron when Kazuichi had let her go. "Come on, Mikan! Ya don't need to say stuff like that!!" Kazuichi hissed, his face a bit flustered. "Kazu, you went to hang out with him yesterday and you literally focused on him more during the recap we had yesterday..." Mikan sighed. "You're such a gay mess..." she shook her head, making Kazuichi flush even more. "Now, now, the mall ain't gonna window shop on it's own." Mikan said, grabbing Kazuichi's arm and raced towards the mall. "O-oi, don't pull to har-" his heartbeat had stopped. There, on the street. Someone. Someone is staring back at him. "Kazu?" Mikan stopped and turned to him, snapping him back to reality. "Huh? What?" he turned back to the street. Gone. "...I'm fine."</p><p>Something is there.</p><p>*****</p><p>"Thanks for coffee, Kaede..." Shuichi waved at her and walked away, the warm cappuccino in his hands. Kaede sighed, her fingers unconsciously tapped to the beat of her piano piece. The warm and welcoming coffee shop accompanied with the soft jazz emanating from the speakers made her feel at peace. The latte in front of her smelled fresh and oddly enough, sweet. She took a sip and stared out the window. It was a bright morning, with some kids playing tag at the plaza, not careful about vehicles as it was a no vehicles zone. Kaede sighed as she hummed a melody in her head, the thought of her next piano recital came to mind. She had been talking music in college for as long as she could remember, in short 3 years. Maki and her had been roommates for a while before Maki got drunk and confessed to Kaede accidentally. The blonde took a deep breath and finished her latte, went to the register and paid. Going back to her apartment, she had stopped by a few clothing stores to gaze at the beautiful fabrics of dresses along with their matching cute accessories. Her phone rung a soft classical piece and she picked up, it was Maki.</p><p>"Hey." Maki said, her voice sounding nonchalant. "Hey! I was just window shopping." Kaede told her, who responded with a simple hum. Though they had been together for months, Maki had always shown little to no affection while Kaede was the one that would shower her with affection. Kaede playfully sighed and asked, "What did you call?" Maki was silent for a few seconds before answering. "I don't know... Just felt like talking to someone..." she replied. "Well, when I get back to the apartment we can talk lots, 'kay?" Kaede cheerfully promised, in which Maki replied with a hum. "Never change, Maki." she said her goodbyes and hung up. As she was putting her phone back into her purse, her makeup mirror fell out. "Ah, crap.." she cursed, hurrying to the rolling mirror. <em>Hey. </em>Kaede froze. She turned, to see no one but herself. The mirror had rolled back to her feet and landed right in front of her. She picked it up and looked in front of her.</p><p>
  <em>Liar.</em>
</p><p>Kaede frozed, her vision getting blurry. Voices surround her and whispered, <em>Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar.</em> Over, and over, and over again. The mall's lights flickered off, only for one stage light to shine on a spot in front of her. Tsumugi's dead body. She choked at the smell of blood, seeing her friend's mangled limbs and the huge pool of blood surrounding her, the shard of glass in her hand while the black rose stained with her blood laid beside her. Tsumugi looked up towards Kaede, her mouth moving to what the voices were saying. <em>Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar.</em>"N-no..." Kaede squeaked out, nothing but her breath came out. She shut her eyes, closed her ears, hoping the voices would go away. "-ede? Kaede?!" a voice called out her name, a cold hand touched her shoulder. She quickly turned to see Tenko standing above her. "Hey, Kaede, you okay?" Tenko's face scrunched up in concern. "Huh? Yeah. I'm fine..." she stood up, her legs wobbly. "Let's get you back to your apartment, okay?" Tenko grabbed her hand and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Thanks, Tenko." Kaede managed a weak smile, only to pass out just a few seconds after.</p><p>
  <em>Kaede Akamatsu is a liar.</em>
</p><p>*****</p><p>"Thank you for being with Gonta, Gundham!" Gonta walked through the cemetery with flowers in hand. "Well, what are mortal friends for?" Gundham replied, his eyes wondering around the cemetery. "Gonta sorry if cemetery is not really Gundham's favourite place..." the big male apologized, only for Gundham to smile softly. "No need to apologize to I, Gonta. It is quite... serene... compared to the streets." he replied, his fingers played with the edge of his scarf. Gonta smiled and stopped in front of a grave, 'Dearest Tsumugi Shirogane' was written on the tombstone. "Hello, Tsumugi." Gonta said, sitting down on the ground with Gundham following suit. "It has been a long time, no?" Gonta asked, placing the flowers on top of the grave. The sound of chirping birds made this moment more beautiful, the sound of soft wind blowing with no outside noise. "Gonta... and many others, miss Tsumugi." he said, "Gonta wish... that that day was a dream... Always." Gundham held his best friend's hand and smiled at him. "Gonta miss Tsumugi's smile... and kind words towards Gonta..." he continued, tears started flooding his vision. "Gonta hope... Tsumugi could forgive all of us..." he sniffed, wiped his eyes with his hand and held Gundham's other hand. "If... you wish to stay... I do not mind..." Gundham looked up to the sky, "It is quite a nice day..." Gonta joined him in staring up at the sky and smiled. "Mhm... Tsumugi would have loved days like these." Gundham smiled at his friend, his memories of Gonta smiling every day came back. "I'll give you some time alone, is that good?" Gundham asked, standing up already and stroked Gonta's hair before making his way back to the car.</p><p>Gonta appreciated this and continued chatting to Tsumugi, remembering sweet moments trapped in time about the two of them and everyone else.</p>
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